1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns golf clubs, and specifically, those clubs termed "irons". More particularly, the present invention concerns perimeter-weighted golf irons. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns perimeter-weighted golf irons having a hollow portion formed within the back of the club head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The construction and formation of golf clubs and, more particularly, the heads of the golf clubs, has been practiced and refined for decades. It has been known for quite some time that the angulation of the face of the club head will cause the ball to move at different trajectories. Thus, increased angulation is used for clubs in which the ball is only intended to be driven a short distance and/or at a high trajectory. Likewise, clubs in which a hit for greater distance is desired have a lesser angulation. The refinement of this knowledge was completed some time ago.
More recently, attention has been concentrated upon the weighting of the club head. It has been found that the club head for each particular iron must be within certain weight parameters for the maximum effectiveness of the club to be achieved. This knowledge also has been developed over time and through much experimentation and practice. Additionally, it has been the focus of golf club manufacturers to achieve weight balance in the club. This is so as to achieve a most fluid swing of the club head through the ball. By the balancing of the weight in the head, it is desired to achieve a full and flush hit of the golf ball. More specifically, it has become known that there exists a maximum effectiveness point on the club face for striking the ball in order to achieve the greatest result therefrom. This maximum point has been commonly referred to as the "sweet spot".
Thus, it has been a driving goal of the golf club manufacturing industry, in the present times, to attempt to enlarge the "sweet spot" on the face of a club head. By increasing this area on the club face from a mere point to a more defined and expanded region, perhaps as much as an inch in circumference, players may greatly increase their likelihood of making an optimum shot on any stroke. This will result in enhanced performances and in lower scores. Thus, the players will receive heightened enjoyment from their golf game and will steadily improve as players.
One known attempt to achieve an increase in the "sweet spot" of the club has been through the use of perimeter weighting. One example of this type of club head is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,167 issued Sep. 7, 1993 to Antonius and is entitled "PERIMETER WEIGHTED IRON TYPE GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH CENTRALLY LOCATED GEOMETRICALLY SHAPED WEIGHT". Antonius teaches the concept of locating a peripheral mass, indicated at element 22, around the perimeter of the club head and, particularly, around the back thereof. As is commonly known, this forms a cavity within the perimeter. This method of club head construction achieves the goal of maintaining the weight of the club head within the known and optimum parameters, while balancing the weight within the club. It is by this balancing of weight around the perimeter that the area of the "sweet spot" is increased.
Another attempt to address this same concern is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,946 which issued Apr. 12, 1994 to Schmidt et alia and is entitled "IRON GOLF CLUB HEAD WITH DUAL INTERSECTING RECESSES AND ASSOCIATED SLITS". Schmidt et alia teaches the formation of a weighted perimeter around the back of the club head. Schmidt et alia further teaches the formation of a slit or recess between the rear face of the club head and the weighted, extended perimeters. Schmidt et alia thus achieves another way for distributing perimeter weight in this type of golf club head.
However, it is believed that the area of the "sweet spot" can be additionally expanded and methods can be used to increase the size of the ridge attached to the perimeter proximate the rear of the golf head while yet maintaining the parameters of overall club head weight. Further, it is believed that by this increase in the size of the perimeter that twist resistance, that is, the resistance of the golfer to the twisting of the face of the golf club when striking through the ball, will be increased. It is to these goals that the present invention is directed.